DUBAI: Dubai-based Baseball United, the region’s first-ever professional baseball league, announced today a partnership with Dubai Little League, the region’s preeminent youth baseball organization.

This collaboration marks a significant step forward in the growth and development of baseball in the region.

The new partnership will include youth clinics, player appearances, and financial support. It will also include preferred pricing and special promotions for DLL members for Baseball United’s upcoming All-Star Showcase event, a two-game series between Baseball United’s East All-Stars and West All-Stars on Nov. 24-25 at Dubai International Stadium.

DLL has been serving the city for nearly three decades, with over 500 baseball and softball players spanning 27 different nationalities playing every weekend during the fall and winter seasons. In addition, DLL administers an adult baseball league with over 100 players, one of the only adult leagues in the Middle East.

“Little League Baseball is where the love for the game begins to grow for millions of kids all over the world,” said Kash Shaikh, chairman, CEO, and majority owner, Baseball United. “And Dubai Little League is one of the absolute best. It’s inspiring to see what Roger and his team — in partnership with so many amazing baseball-loving families in Dubai — have done to teach, promote, and grow the game. We are looking forward to working with the DLL leadership team and member families to create more learning opportunities and more memorable experiences around this game we all love.”

The DLL partnership continues Baseball United’s move to help support local and grassroots baseball and comes on the heels of several partnerships with baseball federations across the world, including with the region’s two largest countries, India and Pakistan.

“We are very grateful to partner with Baseball United to continue our commitment to growing the game of baseball across the region,” said Roger Duthie, president, DLL. “We’ve watched closely as Kash and the team have been bringing to life their vision, and we are looking forward to helping connect the dots within the Dubai baseball ecosystem. Baseball United gives our kids a front-row seat to see what’s possible when playing the game, and it also echoes our values of community and sportsmanship. Our DLL leaders and families have put their heart and soul into building an organization that makes a difference. It’s rewarding to see all that work recognized by an organization that’s full of baseball legends.

In addition to Shaikh, Baseball United’s ownership group includes former Major League Baseball legends Barry Larkin, Mariano Rivera, Adrian Beltre, Felix Hernandez, Robinson Cano, Ryan Howard, and several other stars.